Jameson Island – Bringing Politics to a Head
Published: October 10, 2012
-Original Presentation by Brook Spear, Great Rivers Environmental Law Center
photo of Jameson Chute courtesy of USFWS, Steve Hillebrandt
One of the tools the Corps of Engineers is using to restore habitat along the Missouri lost during channelization is to create chutes and islands on public land adjacent to the river. For some time, this was halted in the state of Missouri by a Clean Water Commission order stopping the excavation of the Jameson Chute on Jameson Island Unit of the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, claiming that the dumping of alluvial sediment in the river during chute construction is a form of pollution.
Brook Spear, a lawyer with the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, gave an overview of Missouri River restoration, how it affects different Congressional authorized purposes on the river and why the stalemate over how to handle sediment on the Missouri River impacts future restoration. She discussed how different interpretations of the Clean Water Act apply to the use of sediment in restoration activities on the Missouri River vs. smaller clearwater streams.
A special thank you to Greg Poleski of Greenway Network for making this happen in St. Charles!
Before the presentation, folks had and opportunity to hop on the Big Junebug canoe with Mike Clark from Big Muddy Adventures for a short paddle through downtown St. Charles.
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Resources
- Great Rivers Environmental Law Center website
- Jameson Island Unit of the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
- A brief history and links for much more info on the Jameson Island project on the Big Muddy News blog
- “Mudslinging on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers” – an environmental law perspective on sediment by Sandra Zellmer
- National Academy of Sciences Report on Missouri River Sediment Management
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles
is hosted by these wonderful partners:
- Greenway Network
- Missouri River Relief
- Friends of Big Muddy
- Big Muddy Adventures
- Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
- Big A’s Restaurant
All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.
A special thank you to Greenway Networkand Mike Clark of Big Muddy Adventures for making this happen!